ViaSat and Eutelsat
enter
first-of-a-kind
agreement to link
high-capacity Ka-band
satellite networks
1 July 2014
ViaSat Inc.
and Eutelsat
Communications have
entered into a
pioneering agreement
that will enable
service access and
roaming on each
other’s
high-capacity
satellite networks
(KA-SAT for Eutelsat
and ViaSat-1 for
ViaSat). Both Ka-band
networks,
representing well
over half of all Ka-band
capacity on orbit
worldwide, share the
same high-capacity
satellite ecosystem,
enabled by the
ViaSat Broadband
System, along with
other ground
infrastructure owned
and operated by
Eutelsat and ViaSat.
The resulting
high-capacity
service area will
span North America,
Europe and the
Mediterranean Basin.
Customers will be
able to operate an
array of fixed and
mobile services
including in-flight
connectivity,
maritime, emergency
relief, oil and gas
operations and
government
applications
anywhere within the
combined coverage
areas.
The agreement
includes provisions
for future
satellites and
follow-on
technologies as they
complement current
Eutelsat and ViaSat
High Throughput
Satellites. That
future includes
ViaSat-2, scheduled
for launch in 2016,
which is designed to
cover a broader
footprint in North
America, Central
America, the Gulf of
Mexico, the
Caribbean and to
bridge the North
Atlantic to form a
blanket of
high-capacity
coverage across the
region.
“This formalises
another step towards
covering the high
traffic areas of the
world with the
fastest, most
affordable mobile
broadband satellite
connectivity,” said
Mark Dankberg,
ViaSat Chairman and
CEO. “Extending our
long-standing
relationship with
Eutelsat enables us
to provide the
fastest in-flight
Wi-Fi available on
both sides of the
Atlantic.”
Michel de Rosen,
Eutelsat Chairman
and CEO, said:
“Working with ViaSat,
we can extend to
North America the
high quality of
service we already
provide clients in
Europe through
KA-SAT, and bridge
the two satellite
systems with the
addition of ViaSat-2.
We believe this
feature will be a
real plus for
companies providing
mobile services and
who need to move
around user
equipment from
region to region.”
Eutelsat’s
KA-SAT, the first
High Throughput
Satellite (HTS) in
the European region,
supplies more than
90 Gbps of network
capacity. Eutelsat
provides services in
conjunction with a
number of partners
under brands
including the Tooway™
consumer broadband
service and the
NewsSpotter video
contribution
service. The ViaSat
network covers the
U.S. and Canada with
over 145 Gbps of
capacity, providing
a service network
for both consumers
and enterprises,
including Exede® and
Xplornet brand
services.